VA-Northern: Tag

Drop off,

The tag is the tree carving thing...... Sorry for the bad pic but the sun was not playing along.

Funny... I rode right past this one on Sunday while headed for the then-current tag. It occurred to me that this and many other similar places would be good tag locations. Glad to see I wasn't alone in that notion.

I've gone by Wit's End Antiques on Rt. 15 near Point of Rocks many times but didn't recall this tree sculpture.


It turns out it's only been there since this past April. The shop owners said the guy came out, set up scaffolding at 8am and by 4pm he was all done. This guy (yet another Joe) has a tree service and just got into carving 8-10 years ago. He's got chainsaw carvings all over if somebody wants to hunt them down for tags . https://sites.google.com/site/chainsawcarvingsbyjoe/
(I do not know this guy and I am not promoting his services.) The carving is a bear.


Since the last tag was a recent item added to the outside of an antique shop I picked another recent object outside an antique shop. The tag is the painted barrel. Just recently a Virginia locality added over 18 painted barrels to its old town area.


These barrels have different scenes. You want this one.


It appears the barrels are on rollers and likely are locked up at night. The barrels are going to be auctioned off for a charity fundraiser this fall, so this is a limited time offer Should the barrel be gone, the tag will be the antique shop with either or both the "Bazaar" or the Blue Sky Cafe signs visible.

Terran Sin chose the decorated barrel outside of It's Bazaar on 21st St in Purcellville VA as the tag:



And the barrel in question:



I was GOING TO put the tag east of Marshall but I have gone a different route instead. Here is the new tag:



An Eccentric display of four columns and two homemade faux artillery pieces, presumably in memory of and homage to the trail of ruined antebellum mansions left all over the Confederacy as they were subdued by the Union troops 150+ years ago. It's somewhere along US 50, west of Middleburg.

I'll save the original plan for another time, even if it means another visit to the location to capture a fresh photo. I can live with that- it's a nice ride to get there.

So the tag is the Battle of Middleburg monument located at the corner of RT 50 (east) and Zulla Road. It's a semiprivate memorial located on the property of a local real estate firm that also puts out the local community newspaper Middleburg Eccentric which is what you'll see the location marked on Google Maps. The actual Battle of Middleburg was a small affair noted for the loss of about 221 men of the 250 man Rhode Island cavalry. The site is part of the Mt Defiance confederate defense line, hence the cannons. I got nothing on the columns


The new tag is also eccentric in that its an ice cream stop painted with a large octopus but the business name refers to another animal altogether. Personally I've always thought of this as the Cthulhu Ice Cream Stand located in the town formerly known as Salem.

Bear's Soft Serve in Marshall serves an excellent chocolate milkshake. I tried one yesterday as I was on my way to Shenandoah NP for a night of moto-camping. On the way back today I paid another visit (unannounced quality control, you understand, to be sure they were not gaming the system) and it was just as good and equally refreshing. I also bagged the tag photo on today's stop:



Being concerned about the state of Steve's soul in the hereafter, I am sending him (or any other player who cares to make the trip) to another house of worship. This is one of the prettiest small churches you could conceive, and it is nicely set in well-shaded grounds. It's not terribly far from the previous tag location.



I was all set to go another route entirely, but since the bike is for sale there's a good chance it might not be there when the next player comes along. It may not have been sold (it was out on display with the For Sale sign on it four months ago when I last passed this way) but the owner may not trouble to roll it out every day.



I'll offer a non-transferrable, non-refundable Kharmic bonus to anyone who goes the extra three or four miles to bag this along with the *actual* tag posted above.

The tag is Grace Episcopal Church located on RT 55 in The Plains. Established in 1855, the original wood church was damaged by the civil war. Today's stone structure is an example of 13th century gothic architecture and was built in the early 1900's and consecrated in 1918. All the stone was dug up from the surrounding farms and freely given for the construction.


I didn't go after the extra bonus karma as I was tired after a long day helping a buddy set up his route for the Pacific Coast NOVA Ride and Christoffer Carstanjen Memorial* later this month up in Cumberland, MD. I'm pretty sure I've seen this particular PC800 out for sale for quite awhile now. Usually there's an old Connie out along with it.

The new tag goes back to my theme of Col Mosby and the Civil War and a rather infamous raffle. The tag is the building but there is a civil war marker describing two events that this building/area is noted for. In the interest of safety please note that the tag is located in Rectortown at the intersection of Maidstone and Lost Corner. There are two approaches, one being from Rectortown itself and the other being from RT 17/55 right where 17 joins RT 66. The RT 17/55 side of Maidstone is being repaired by dumping huge gobs of gravel in neat rectangular patches. the locals delight in screaming thru these neat patches and have created ruts and piles. Hopefully the repairs will be completed in the next week or so as Maidstone is normally a delightful little road. I made it through without drama but feel I must post this warning: get in and get out from Rectortown Road. (Once repaired I'll remove this warning and the location if the tag hasn't been moved)



*https://www.umass.edu/it/about/christoffer-carstanjen-memorial-award

Terran Sin said:

I didn't go after the extra bonus karma as I was tired after a long day helping a buddy set up his route for the Pacific Coast NOVA Ride and Christoffer Carstanjen Memorial*

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Kharmic bonus awarded given the circumstances, and the tie-in (unwitting on my part but altogether fitting) to the photo.

I saw the Connie alongside the PC800 in April but obviously it was missing last week; I assumed it had been sold but have no evidence or information to back that up.

Thanks for the history lesson on the Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains; it's an attractive building in its own right, and the back story makes it more appealing. Thanks also for the traffic warning about the new tag location, which I'd have had a hard time finding otherwise.

So finding the Rectortown Outdoor Trailer Company (if I remember the sign correctly) was much easier since Steve revealed the location in his safety warning. No need to pull that down, sir.



After horsing around in Loudoun County for a while, I took my bike to the track for some training. Who knew it wasn't that kind of track?



By the way: it seems like half the county is for sale. I fear that in a few years this is going to be totally spoiled as a riding area. But man was it pleasant this afternoon.

Well thanks to the clue I was easily able to recognize the Middleburg Training Center off St Louis Road outside Middleburg. It's an impressive facility for being this close to the DC metro area. Founded in 1956 by Paul Mellon (from the family that started Mellon Bank), it's still active but in its heyday it was the largest employer in the county and broke and trained many winning horse for races on both sides of the Atlantic. As noted, the training center is up for sale. Got a piggy bank with $3.5 million to spare?


The new tag is related and just down the road. You must tag the horse inside the hedges and tell us the name of the horse.


Here's your hint to help you chronicle this location as this is somewhat secluded yet right next to RT 50. The photo below is NOT the tag but if you can find this easy to spot landmark you're in the right paddock!

Great clue!

Middleburg, smack dab in the middle of a large (but seriously threatened by development pressures) expanse of equine-oriented farms and estates, is home to the National Sporting Life Museum and the Chronicle of the Horse.



This shrine to all things horsey (especially thoroughbred flat-track and steeplechase racing and the hunt club lifestyle) includes a statue of Sea Hero, a horse bred at Rokeby Stables in nearby Upperville VA, owned by Paul Mellon of the Mellon family of financiers. Steve has already noted that the Mellons were big in the county and in horse racing, owning a collection of horses that won over 1,000 stakes races at various levels.



And surprise, surprise (NOT): once again I was en route to an entirely different tag location based on my plan, when my attention was grabbed and held by this. Continuing the connection to the Mellon family, I present this as the new tag.




Like the edifice in The Plains (same denomination), this lovely structure has roots in European architectural history. It is modeled on French designs and, according to the website,

The present complex, on approximately 35 acres which includes the church, parish hall, and rectory (now used as the church office) and related buildings, was a gift to the Parish by two of its members, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Mellon.

The Church itself, the third on the site, the Parish Hall, and the Church offices were the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon to the parish (as was much of the campus). The buildings were begun in 1951, and the first services in the Church were held on September 28th, 1960. The architect was H. Page Cross, and his design is a free adaptation of the style of certain 12th and 13th Century French churches. The fabric of the Church is native sandstone, although less brittle limestone was used for the more intricately carved areas.

All the stone and woodwork, except the most complex carving, was done by local craftspeople, who made their own stone-cutting tools at a forge on the property in the tradition of medieval craftsmen. The bells in the tower, which were made in England, are dedicated to these craftsmen.

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I have at least two more queued up when and if the need should arise.

Good job on continuing the Mellon theme Keith! I think you said almost everything regarding Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville.


I wanted to be more creative with this next tag. I hope you don't think I'm throwing a monkey-wrench fouling the Mellon-choly theme.

Steve started monkeying around, setting the tag at Monkeytown Pottery on Airmont Road. The slope of the gravel parking area nearly caught me out; I see now why he parked facing the opposite direction.



But, happily, I managed to stay upright in both the physical and moral sense, long enough to set the new tag location at the church below. The things I particularly like about this church are its simplicity, and its absolute isolation. (It's less than five miles from the previous tag, but out in the countryside... which is true of that whole area I think.)



This tag also has a connection to one of Terran Sin's recurring themes. What is it?

Funnily (to me), according to the historical plaques on the front of the building, the congregation split many years ago over "doctrinal differences", into "Old Baptist" and "New Baptist" subgroups. Reminds me of the joke about a small town with two immense Baptist churches, on opposite sides of the street facing one another. A stranger passing through commented to a local that it hardly seemed possible that a town that size could sustain two such edifices, and asked the reason. The local replied "They have a difference of theology."

"Really???" came the incredulous response. "What could POSSIBLY be so divisive as to cause such a schism?"

The local gestured at one of the churches off-handedly and said "Those people claim that Pharoah's daughter found Moses in the bulrushes."

"Well, yeah, that's what the Bible says." said the out-of-towner. "So?"

"That other lot... they say, 'That's what she says.' "

Well I easily found Keith's tag but I'll admit I've passed this by many times and never paid much attention to it. It is on a hill and the road has a slight curve so usually you're focusing on the road. This is Ebenezer Baptist Churches and Cemeteries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Baptist_Churches
Located in the area known as Bloomfield but close to Airmont, Bluemont and in the shadow of the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Weather_Emergency_Operations_Center and a locally famous airliner crash into the mountainside in 1974.


The history of the land and the churches is modestly interesting on the surface. However dig a little more and neat tidbits of history start to pop out. The original church was formed before current Loudoun County was created from pre-revolutionary war Fairfax County. The church split in the 1830's was part of an upheaval that swept across the rural southern states and divided many church communities. The "old" conservative baptists are known as Primitive Baptists and the "new" are your now predominant Southern Baptist. I'll leave further explanations alone! But Keith's joke is pretty accurate as the old Baptist church is the one on the left and the new Baptist members shared it for over 20 years years before eventually building the greek revival church on the right. Both churches and their cemeteries are listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

I was puzzled by Keith's reference that this tag had a connection to one of my recurring themes. Was it the gravel driveway? Church architecture? Keeping tags within 45 minutes of my house? AH! A nice bronze plaque with historical info bullet points noted that in 1864, Colonel John S. Mosby, the infamous Confederate raider, split up the captured federal payroll taken during his Manassas Gap Railroad Raid! Good one Keith, I am a Moseby fan! (BTW- my previous Rectortown tag- I realized the events of the infamous Moseby Lottery took place on this date, November 6, 152 years ago!)

The new tag is a lot more straightforward. Or is it? On my way to the new tag I passed by Blrfl going the other direction. We met up down the road and he followed me to this new tag. So appropriate for this group and Mark as his tag reads "RIDE4PIE". How has this place not been tagged already! So, it's not really necessary to have Mark in your tag but he lives 15 minutes away and literally will ride for pie!)

Terran Sin said:

So, it's not really necessary to have Mark in your tag but he lives 15 minutes away and literally will ride for pie!)

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...Although from the way my suit fits these days, perhaps less pie is in order.

--Mark

Terran Sin and Blrfl sent me to find Mom's Apple Pie, a tiny establishment in an historic building on a funky corner at the edge of old town Leesburg. Mighty fine pie selection, gentlemen.



After the obligatory slice (Mom's Sour Cherry, if you must know), a new tag presented itself in a convenient location not too far away.

Ah Keith, you cheeky monkey! Here's the George Catlett Marshall statute in downtown Leesburg.


And here's how far he moved the tag! (I did circle around the block before realizing where it was!)


I took a page out of Keith's Playbook and moved the tag close to my homebase. Hint: you no longer have to pay to get in, but the gates do close at dark.

Now that I have seen to the MD tag, this one's next on my list.

I know just where I think it will go, but as per my MD post it'll probably end up going someplace else, completely unexpected, instead.

Steve dropped the tag in a nice quiet corner of the Manassas National Battlefield Historic Park:



I remembered as I was exiting the area why I avoid that part of NoVA: too much sprawl! So, I headed north and west, back into quieter, more rural, bucolic scenery. This was a tag I first planned to use last year, but it got replaced by what I thought was a more interesting and intriguing find. So, it's been riding around in my tank bag waiting to be deployed, and today's the day. Show me either the school building or the historical marker, or both: